Logistics & Supply Chain / Customer Intake Automation
Logistics Provider Automates 60% of Customer Intake
A mid-size logistics provider automated their customer intake process across email, phone, and web channels, reducing intake-to-quote time from 4.2 hours to 47 minutes while maintaining service quality.
Intake handled without human intervention
0%
60%
Average intake-to-quote time
4.2 hours
47 minutes
Data entry errors
12%
2.3%
Context
A logistics provider handling approximately 800 shipment requests per week was bottlenecked at customer intake. Six coordinators worked in shifts, but during peak periods the backlog would grow to 50+ requests with 8+ hour delays. Roughly 60% of requests were straightforward and didn't require judgment calls.
Approach
Two phases over six weeks: email and web intake automation (weeks 1-4), then phone intake assistance (weeks 5-6). We built confidence-based routing — routine requests processed automatically, complex ones queued with pre-extracted data for coordinators.
Architecture
Multi-channel processing: email via AWS Lambda + Claude API extraction, web forms with shared classification logic, phone via Twilio transcription with real-time Salesforce draft population. Dedicated Salesforce integration layer respecting custom fields, validation rules, and assignment logic.
Results
60% of intake requests processed without human intervention. Intake-to-quote time dropped from 4.2 hours to 47 minutes. Data entry errors fell from 12% to 2.3%. Coordinators shifted focus to complex, high-value intake.
Key Lesson
Start with the auto-processable requests. Automating the easy 60% first immediately freed coordinator time and proved the ROI case before tackling complex cases.